Euphoric Comebacks: Music for the World Within ‘Euphoria’ and Out

Teenage vice, creative makeup, nail, and costume designs, and incredible levels of drama all define what is arguably one of the best and most popular TV shows of recent years. “Euphoria” is chock-full of tense relationship fumbles and triumphs. But amid the drama actor’s performances, their script, and the setting, another dimension of the show appears: the music.

“Euphoria”’s soundtrack is integral to its narrative primarily because its instrumentals match the moodiness and angst of the characters. Labrinth’s “All for Us” — part of the critically acclaimed songwriter’s contributions as lead composer for “Euphoria” — serve as a prime example for how the soundtrack embodies the characters’ angsts and emotions. The song, which serves as the show’s main theme, runs parallel to the show’s own raw emotions. As a theme, “All for Us” encaptures much of the electric and dream-like energy that resonates in the show. The track starts out with an ethereal, gospel-like chorus that echoes for 26 seconds and quickly transitions to a series of mechanical sounds that create a dissonant harmony. As the beats and buzzes fade into the background, Zendaya (who has a feature on the song) takes center stage with moody vocals — “Too much in my system … money M.I.A” — with Labrinth’s deep voice and ad-libs adding a stark and moody contrast to Zendaya’s voice.

It’s easy to see just how much of the show is tied to its musical content. Almost every scene features a different song, adding further depth and emotion to an already hard-hitting script. Music is as necessary for “Euphoria” as its actors’ performances, the costume and makeup design, and the plot.

In an interview with Vanity Fair, “Euphoria”’s music supervisor Jen Malone described the arduous and dynamic process of creating the musical character of each episode. One of the greatest challenges being that it is a multidimensional realm where the only criteria for the music at hand is to match the theme of the scene. In fact, “Euphoria”’s additions of music to the background of a scene fit so seamlessly in that music has become an omnipresence — not just for the audience, but also the actors.

An added element to the use of music in “Euphoria” is that a lot of those more emotional and memorable moments are set to music that is diegetic — moments where the music is a part of the scene and setting and thus heard by the characters. By integrating the score into the screenplay, the audience feels one step closer to the characters, just by virtue of hearing and feeling the same things that the music is making the character feel. Music is emotional, just as acting is, and “Euphoria” capitalizes on the sentimentality of lyrics and melodies to add intimacy for its audience, beyond the dialogue and character interactions that create the basis of the show’s drama.

“Euphoria,” at its core, is a show depicting a hyper-sensational version of American suburbia. It shows some of the greatest moments of both teenage angst and exhilaration and does not hesitate to portray some of life’s greatest struggles and tribulations. For a show that touches different individuals in different ways, there needs to be a next level of emotional reach. It’s simply no wonder that music has been used in such a way for “Euphoria” as well: to translate to a larger audience the turbulence of spirit and soul that oftentimes acting alone cannot accomplish.

—Staff Writer Ashley Y. Lee can be reached at ashley.lee@thecrimson.com.